MeeGo Team to Woo Developers With Upcoming Release

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The MeeGo project is getting ready to release version 1.1 of the operating system, which should allow developers to start working on applications for smartphones, according to a Wednesday blog post.

"Creating [version 1.1] is important because it gives developers, especially handset application developers, a relatively stable ground for starting their work," the blog post said.

Also, arriving soon is an update to the Maemo operating system, which is used on Nokia's N900 smartphone, that will allow users to run both Maemo and MeeGo on the N900. That will allow developers to write applications using the Qt framework, and then test them on both Maemo and MeeGo, directly on their N900, according to the blog post.

The blog post also issues a warning for potential users: "MeeGo is an open source project and if you choose to install the MeeGo image on your N900 device, you do it completely at your own risk. If you are not confident that you know what you are doing with it and why, please don't use it at all," it said.

The MeeGo OS, announced in February, merges Intel's Moblin and Nokia's Maemo Linux-based operating systems. Nokia and Intel hope that advanced smartphones, netbooks, connected TVs and tablet computers will all use the operating system.

In February, Nokia stated the first devices will launch in 2010, but that Nokia will have time to put out those products now seems unlikely, according to Francisco Jeronimo [cq], research manager for European Mobile Devices at IDC. Instead, Nokia should aim to make a big splash at Mobile World Congress in February, and have products ready to ship soon afterwards, he said.

The official Nokia line is that the company will reveal its plan before the end of the year, according to a spokeswoman.

Developers and others who want to learn more about MeeGo should head to Dublin between Nov. 12 and 15, and attend the MeeGo Conference 2010.

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